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All Cards/Best for $400+/Month Groceries

Best No AF Cards for Grocery Spending Over $400/Month

For households spending $400 or more per month at supermarkets, the top three no annual fee cards are American Express Blue Cash Everyday (3 percent on US supermarkets up to $6,000 per year), Bank of America Customized Cash Rewards (2 percent at grocery stores and wholesale clubs, raised by the BofA Rewards bonus), and Capital One Savor (3 percent uncapped on groceries plus dining and entertainment). The choice turns on whether your monthly spend exceeds the $500 BCE cap and whether you carry a BoA banking or Merrill relationship.

Rates and offers as of 2026-10-17.

The $6,000 Amex cap and when it bites

Amex Blue Cash Everyday pays 3 percent on US supermarkets on up to $6,000 of purchases per year, then 1 percent. The cap is fixed in dollars, so as grocery bills rise more households reach it.

The arithmetic: $6,000 divided by your monthly spend is how many months the 3 percent lasts. At $500/month the cap runs out at the end of month 12, at $600/month after month 10, and at $700/month during month 9. After the cap, BCE drops to 1 percent on supermarkets, less than half of what Citi Double Cash (2 percent uncapped) pays on the same spend.

That is why the cohort matters. For households under $400/month groceries, BCE is unambiguously the best pick. For households at $400 to $500/month, BCE is still the right primary card. Above $500/month, the stacking discussion becomes meaningful: BCE for the first $6,000, then Savor (3 percent uncapped) for everything above, captures 3 percent on the entire year of grocery spend regardless of volume.

The 2026 ranking for $400+/month households

Pick 1 of 3

American Express Blue Cash Everyday

3 percent US supermarkets up to $6,000/year ($180 max), plus 3 percent online retail and 3 percent gas with separate caps each.

Annual fee

BCE is the highest-rate no-AF grocery card for households at or below the cap. The 3 percent rate covers purchases at US supermarkets, which is how the major grocery chains code. Excluded: Walmart, Target, Costco, Sam's Club, BJs (all code as discount/warehouse).

At $500/month groceries, you spend $6,000/year and hit the cap exactly. Annual rewards: $180. At $400/month, you spend $4,800/year under the cap. Annual rewards: $144. At $700/month, you spend $8,400/year: $6,000 at 3 percent ($180) plus $2,400 at 1 percent ($24) for $204 total. Compare to a 2 percent flat card on $8,400: $168. BCE wins by $36 at $700/month, before any stacking.

Bonus categories that compound the value: 3 percent on US online retail (separate $6k cap), 3 percent on US gas stations (separate $6k cap). A household that maximizes all three categories earns $540/year, a stronger absolute return than any other no-AF card. Source: Amex BCE product page, accessed 2026-10-17.

Pick 2 of 3

Bank of America Customized Cash Rewards

2 percent at grocery stores and wholesale clubs on the first $2,500 a quarter (shared with the chosen 3 percent category), then 1 percent. BofA Rewards adds 10 to 75 percent by tier.

Annual fee

BoA Customized Cash Rewards pays 2 percent at grocery stores and wholesale clubs (the only card on this list whose bonus covers warehouse clubs such as Costco, Sam's Club and BJs; Walmart still codes as a discount store). For households who mix traditional supermarket and warehouse club spending, this is meaningfully better than BCE because BCE pays 1 percent on Costco and Walmart.

The BofA Rewards bonus, which replaced Preferred Rewards on 27 May 2026, is what can lift this card to the top for the right household. Any enrolled Bank of America checking customer gets 10 percent (2 percent becomes 2.2 percent). $30,000 in combined balances gives 25 percent (2.5 percent), $100,000 gives 50 percent (3 percent), and $1,000,000 gives 75 percent (3.5 percent). The bonus rate still sits inside the $2,500 quarterly cap shared with your chosen 3 percent category, so at most $10,000 a year of grocery spend earns it.

At the $100,000 Preferred Honors tier, this card matches BCE's 3 percent and keeps paying it past BCE's $6,000 cap, up to $10,000 a year, with warehouse clubs included. Source: BoA Customized Cash Rewards product page, accessed 2026-10-17.

Pick 3 of 3

Capital One Savor Cash Rewards

3 percent on groceries (excluding superstores), dining, entertainment, streaming. Uncapped. No FTF. No annual fee.

Annual fee

Savor is the right pick for households above the BCE cap who want simplicity. The 3 percent rate on groceries is uncapped, with no quarterly tracking or category selection. At $800/month groceries ($9,600/year), Savor earns $288 versus BCE's $180 capped at $6,000 plus 1 percent on the overflow $3,600 ($36) for $216 total. Savor wins by $72/year.

Savor's grocery exclusions match BCE's: Walmart, Target, Costco, Sam's Club all code as non-supermarket and earn 1 percent. Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, Kroger, Publix, and all standard supermarkets are included at 3 percent.

The compounding value: Savor also pays 3 percent on dining (restaurants), 3 percent on entertainment (concerts, movies, events), and 3 percent on streaming. For a household that already values these categories, Savor earns 3 percent across multiple major spend buckets without any tracking complexity. Source: Capital One Savor product page, accessed 2026-10-17.

Monthly grocery spend and the cap break-even table

At what point does the BCE cap make a different card the better choice? The answer depends on monthly volume.

$400 ($4,800/yr)

BCE: $144
Savor: $144
BoA, $100k tier: $144
Best pick: Tie at 3 percent

$500 ($6,000/yr)

BCE: $180
Savor: $180
BoA, $100k tier: $180
Best pick: Tie at 3 percent

$700 ($8,400/yr)

BCE: $204
Savor: $252
BoA, $100k tier: $252
Best pick: Savor or BoA (tie)

$1,000 ($12,000/yr)

BCE: $240
Savor: $360
BoA, $100k tier: $330
Best pick: Savor

$1,500 ($18,000/yr)

BCE: $300
Savor: $540
BoA, $100k tier: $420
Best pick: Savor

Monthly grocery spend	Annual BCE earnings	Annual Savor earnings	Annual BoA, $100k tier	Best pick
$400 ($4,800/yr)	$144	$144	$144	Tie at 3 percent
$500 ($6,000/yr)	$180	$180	$180	Tie at 3 percent
$700 ($8,400/yr)	$204	$252	$252	Savor or BoA (tie)
$1,000 ($12,000/yr)	$240	$360	$330	Savor
$1,500 ($18,000/yr)	$300	$540	$420	Savor

BoA Customized Cash Rewards earnings shown at the $100,000 Preferred Honors tier (2 percent plus a 50 percent bonus = 3 percent) on the first $10,000 a year, then 1.5 percent, assuming groceries use the whole $2,500 quarterly cap. BCE: 3 percent on the first $6,000, then 1 percent. Savor's uncapped 3 percent scales linearly with spend, making it the clear winner above $1,000/month.

The two-card stack: BCE plus Savor

For households spending $700+/month who want maximum yield, the BCE + Savor stack captures 3 percent on all grocery spend. The mechanics:

January 1: use BCE for all supermarket purchases.
When you hit $6,000 cumulative BCE supermarket spend (track via Amex statement), switch to Savor for groceries.
Savor continues at 3 percent for the rest of the year, no cap.
Restart with BCE on January 1 of the next year.

For a $1,000/month household, this stack earns $180 (BCE first 6 months) plus $180 (Savor second 6 months) equals $360/year. Single-card BCE earns $240. Single-card Savor earns $360 (same as stack). The stack is only better if you also want BCE's online retail and gas bonuses on non-grocery spend; if grocery is the only target, Savor single-card is functionally equivalent without the tracking overhead.

Keep reading

Frequently asked questions

What counts as a supermarket for credit card rewards?

Each issuer uses Merchant Category Codes (MCCs) to classify supermarkets. The standard supermarket MCC is 5411 (grocery stores). Amex US Supermarkets includes 5411 merchants based in the US, plus Whole Foods (5411), Trader Joe's (5411), Kroger family stores (5411), Publix (5411), HEB (5411), Safeway (5411), Albertsons (5411), Wegmans (5411), Aldi (5411), and similar. Excluded: Walmart, Target, Sam's Club, Costco (all of which code as discount stores or warehouses, not supermarkets), and most convenience stores.

Why is Walmart not a supermarket on credit cards?

Walmart codes as merchant 5310 (discount store) regardless of how much grocery you buy there. Even if 70 percent of your Walmart purchase is groceries, the MCC follows the store, not the basket. The same logic applies to Target (MCC 5310 discount store), Costco (MCC 5300 warehouse), and Sam's Club (MCC 5300 warehouse). For Walmart-heavy households, the grocery category is the wrong target. Look at flat 2 percent cards instead.

Is the Amex BCE $6,000 supermarket cap a household cap or a per-card cap?

Per-card. If you and your spouse each have a BCE card on the same account (one primary, one authorized user), the cap is $6,000 combined because authorized user spending counts against the primary's cap. If you each have separate BCE accounts (you the primary on one, your spouse the primary on theirs), the cap is $6,000 each, $12,000 combined. The second-account approach is the legitimate workaround for high-grocery households spending $1,000+/month.

Does instacart count as supermarket for rewards?

Mostly no. Instacart purchases code as Instacart (MCC 5411 sometimes, MCC 5814 fast food sometimes, MCC 5399 misc retail sometimes). The behavior is inconsistent and depends on whether Instacart is delivering from a partner store with direct billing or processing payment itself. For reliable supermarket rewards, buy direct from the store (online pickup, store-branded delivery like Kroger Boost or Safeway Delivery) rather than through Instacart.

How do I benchmark my monthly grocery spend?

USDA publishes a monthly Cost of Food report with four plans (Thrifty, Low-Cost, Moderate-Cost and Liberal), priced per person by age and sex. Add up your household members from the latest report for a benchmark. For card choice the number that matters is simpler: above $500 a month at supermarkets, BCE's $6,000 yearly cap runs out before the year ends.

Can I use multiple cards to spread grocery spending and avoid caps?

Yes. The Amex BCE + Capital One Savor stack is the highest-yield approach. Use BCE for the first $500/month (3 percent up to $6,000/year) and Savor for everything above (3 percent uncapped on groceries). Both at 3 percent means a blended 3 percent on all grocery spend regardless of total. The trade-off is two cards to track and the small risk of duplicate fraud monitoring.

Does the Costco Anywhere Visa pay grocery rewards?

No. The Costco Anywhere Visa (Citi) has a $0 annual fee with an active Costco membership (the membership itself is paid separately) and pays 5 percent on gas at Costco and 4 percent on other gas and EV charging (on a combined $7,000 a year, then 1 percent), 3 percent on restaurants and eligible travel, 2 percent on other Costco and Costco.com purchases, and 1 percent on everything else. There is no supermarket bonus category. For mixed Costco plus traditional supermarket households, pair this card with BCE or Savor.

Not financial advice. Cited from USDA Food Plans 2026, BLS CPI Food at Home index, and each issuer's published category list as of 2026-10-17.